Dwyane Wade Struggling Through Right Knee Injury

With all the focus on the ridiculous capri-style pants he rocked to Game 4, it was easy to miss the real story: Dwyane Wade aggravating his troublesome bruised right knee. Wade says he’s able to manage the pain and play through it with varying degrees of success, but the bum joint could have major implications down the line as the Miami Heat continue the defense of their NBA title. Per the Palm Beach Post: “After missing his first three shots, Wade knocked Bulls forward Jimmy Butler’s right knee during a post-up, then winced while recoiling into a missed fadeaway jumper before limping into a timeout, back to the bench. ‘I aggravated it,’ Wade said. ‘Just a shooting pain. It hurt, but eventually I was able to come back, re-tape my knee and try to finish.’ Yes, he did return, making three of his final five shots to finish with six points — including a dunk on a pass that was reminiscent of one LeBron James gave him in Game 4 in Indiana last year to get him going. Going forward, it’s clear that his issue isn’t going away without a full offseason of rest and rehab. […] ‘We know D-Wade is battling,’ James said. ‘He’s injured right now. He’s nowhere near 100 percent.’ How’s the knee feel? ‘Not 100 percent,’ Wade said. […] Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised Wade for competing defensively and promised that ‘he’ll get in a better rhythm’ on offense after scoring 49 points in the past five games. But that depends on a knee that won’t consistently cooperate. ‘Sometimes it feels good, sometimes it doesn’t,’ Wade said. ‘Just try to go out there and continue to do what I can.’ So would it help to skip Game 5 against Chicago, as he skipped Game 4 against Milwaukee? ‘Nah,’ Wade said. ‘Just some days are better than others. In certain games, I might do a move and the shooting pain might come up. This was the first time y’all seen it. Other times I’ve been able to not show y’all.'”